A toilet leak can very quickly get out of hand if it isn’t taken care of. You’ll be facing pools of water that can damage the bathroom floor and even seep through to damage the ceiling of the room below. Then you’ll have to add the costs of those repairs to the cost of repairing the toilet – and the cost of all the wasted water on top of all that! Fortunately, as long as you’ve got the right tools a fair amount of patience, you can save yourself the money you’d otherwise spend hiring a plumber to fix a toilet leak. It may be an easier and cheaper fix than you expected, so it’s worth taking a look before picking up the phone.

One of the most common causes of a toilet leak is that the wax ring that is found inside the toilet near its bottom gets worn out. If this is the case, then the fix is a relatively easy and inexpensive one, it just takes a little bit of effort since you need to unmount the entire toilet in order to get to it.

As with any other toilet repair, the first thing that you’ll want to do is shut off the water flow to the toilet. Usually, there’s a valve right behind the toilet that does this. After you’ve turned the valve, flush the toilet a few times to drain as much water as you can. No extra water should flow into the bowl – if it does then you need to turn the valve tighter. After draining the bowl, soak up the remaining water with a sponge.

Once that’s done, then next step is to prepare to unmount the toilet to get at the source of the toilet leak. You will find some nuts on the base of the toilet that are used to hold it in place. Simply use a wrench to remove them – you may need to remove their plastic coverings with a wedge first.

Those nuts are actually all that holds the toilet in place, so now you can simply lift the toilet away carefully. Once that’s done, you should see the opening in the floor where the toilet’s plumbing begins. Find some way to plug up the hole to ensure nothing comes back at you, and then you’re ready to solve your toilet leak problem.

If the wax ring is in fact the problem, the wear and degradation should be obvious. Use a wedge to pry off what remains of the old ring both from the base of the toilet and from the pipes. There should be space for you to insert the wax ring into the base of the toilet. Once that step is completed, all you have to do is carefully line up the toilet with its plumbing and the bolts in the floor. Once you’ve remounted the toilet and secured the bolts, you’re done.

No more toilet leak!

Photo Credits: pboothe

Originally posted 2009-09-05 09:55:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Taking Care of Stained Wooden Floors Whether you live in an old house that has original wooden floors, or if you have a pet problem with staining, taking care of stained wooden floors doesn’t have to be difficult. Before you think about replacing expensive wooden floors, there are a few options that you can try that......
• How to Fix That Leaky Roof It may start with a drip or a deluge, but a leaky roof is a pain to deal with. Fixing it requires a lot of effort, time and money, but not fixing it may cost even more. From dealing with ceiling collapses to water damage, that leaky roof can be......
• Diagnose and Repair a Toilet Leak Sometimes a toilet leak is immediately obvious because of the extra water on the bathroom floor. Sometimes an increase your water bill will give the problem away. Either way, a toilet leak is something that most people can repair themselves rather than something that requires a new toilet installation. Most......
• Closing Down a House for the Winter Whether you have a vacation home that will not be in use for the winter, or you will be gone from your home for an extended period of time this season, it is a good idea to properly close up your home for the winter. This is not difficult and......
• How to Install a Toilet Installing a toilet is a lot easier than you might think and just about anyone can do it. Whether your old toilet is past its usefulness or you want to add a new one to match your décor, the process is pretty easy and should only take a few hours.......

Related Websites

• Waxing a Snowboard pt 2 If you want your P-tex to maintain its clear color while you aer heating it, then you need to take care to keep the torch close, but not close enough to allow for the P-tex material to catch on fire. Filled the damaged areas on your snowboard in using the......
• Understanding Perfume Notes Understanding what it means when people talk about perfume notes can help you choose perfumes that match your personality and really appeal to you. It can also make you simply feel more informed at the perfume counter, or when browsing online. If you've heard a perfume or cologne referred to......
• Restoring Antique Books Maintaining the integrity of old books that are considered to be archives, historic or heirlooms can be a challenging task given the wide variety of elements and types of situations that are capable of causing damage to them. Fire, water, mold and smoke are all elements and situations that are......
• Lake Pillsbury    Lake Pillsbury   Lake Pillsbury is located in: Upper Lake, CA Phone: (707) 275-2361 About the Lake: Lake Pillsbury has 2003 surface acres in water and a shoreline that stretches out over 65 miles. It is a very popular destination in the Mendocino Forest and the fishing here is......
• Peninsula Yacht Marina, Channel Islands, CA Peninsula Yacht Marina is located in the Channel Islands, CA Phone: 805.985.6400 Average water depth: The water depth is usually around a little more than 5 feet at this marina, but this is subject to change. Please contact them before you arrive to make sure that depth is right for......

Online Stores

• Hershey, Reeses Candy & Nuts Advertising Collectibles
• Flow Meter Garden Hoses & Hose Reels Watering Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
• Pipe Fittings Plumbing Building Materials & Supplies Green Construction Store
• Garbage Disposals Kitchen Plumbing & Fixtures Home Improvement
• Reebok Step/Riser Sets Fitness Equipment Gym, Workout & Yoga Exercise & Fitness

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.


Categories:

Fix, Handy Man, Toilet

Tags:

bathroom floor, little bit, money, nuts, patience, plastic coverings, plumber, plumbing, pools of water, right tools, sponge, toilet leak, toilet repair, water flow, wax ring